I've been wondering, does anybody know how aid compares to free climbing in terms of A&I rates?

Aid feels scarier than free to me, but frankly I have no idea if it really is any more dangerous. Anybody know?

Well... Statistics might be misleading.

Here's the ting. For sport climbing, the harder the route the safer the climber since harder generally equals steeper and less featured rock which equals less risk of slamming into something when you fall.

For trad climbing it depends. Some venture into the poorly protected routes in micronuts and taped hook territory. Others prefer to go for steep cracks where the pro is still good even if the route is hard.

But for aid (as well as ice and alpine), "harder" always equals "more dangerous". Without taking risks you'll never get above the weekend warrior level. If you are content with that, and stay focused, aid is not inherently dangerous. If you have ambitions, realize you will be betting your life.

I've been wondering, does anybody know how aid compares to free climbing in terms of A&I rates?

Aid feels scarier than free to me, but frankly I have no idea if it really is any more dangerous. Anybody know?

Well... Statistics might be misleading.

Here's the ting. For sport climbing, the harder the route the safer the climber since harder generally equals steeper and less featured rock which equals less risk of slamming into something when you fall.

For trad climbing it depends. Some venture into the poorly protected routes in micronuts and taped hook territory. Others prefer to go for steep cracks where the pro is still good even if the route is hard.

But for aid (as well as ice and alpine), "harder" always equals "more dangerous". Without taking risks you'll never get above the weekend warrior level. If you are content with that, and stay focused, aid is not inherently dangerous. If you have ambitions, realize you will be betting your life.

Ok, then– as the video I posted originally asks, I will ask you the same question:

How many hard aid climbers have died from doing hard aid? I'm not talking about rappel accidents, objective hazards like rockfall or weather, or anything like that. I mean, how many hard aid climbers have died when their hook placement, or bubblegum copperhead, or rp string blew out, and they cratered?

If hard aid is really more dangerous, there should be more fatalities, right?

Ok, then– as the video I posted originally asks, I will ask you the same question:

How many hard aid climbers have died from doing hard aid? I'm not talking about rappel accidents, objective hazards like rockfall or weather, or anything like that. I mean, how many hard aid climbers have died when their hook placement, or bubblegum copperhead, or rp string blew out, and they cratered?

If hard aid is really more dangerous, there should be more fatalities, right?

As I said, statistics are misleading here. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single "proper" aid fatality, though I'm sure there has been some. That does not in any way mean that hard aid is not sick dangerous. Hard aid is all about cutting your safety margins thin. (After all, you could have brought out the drill and placed a bolt, but chosed not to.) That does not equal certain death-by-gravity, but it does mean not only "don't fuck up" but also "don't have bad luck".

So dangerous in the same sense as carrying a bottle of nitroglycerin in your pocket. Don't trip and don't fuck around with it and you'll be fine. Nobody would argue, however, that it's not dangerous.

nah it's always safe. Aid climbing unlike real climbing never has rockfall (nice bonus we don't ever wear helmets). Aid climbing guarantees good weather and eliminate all objective hazards. In Aid climbng the rope can never get cut the gear can never break. All placements are always bomber ...that is why we can use hooks for pro. Operator error is impossible in aid climbing.

Aid climbing automatically makes you a genius incapable of distraction or misjudgement.

Aid climbing makes it impossible to get hurt if you fall. just ask Dean Potter. Thats why most aid climbers don't even own a rope and if we do it's a static.

Aid climbing makes you invulnerable. This is why our chalkbag contains a lighter and a pack of non-filter cigarettes for leading.

If hard aid is really more dangerous, there should be more fatalities, right?

I don't think it follows that just because there are few fatalities or injuries, it shouldn't be considered dangerous. the low number of fatalities could be because climbers take extra care in dangerous situations.

I can't really put my finger on it, but there's something about the amount of attention or skill required to stay safe in a given situation that has a lot to do with how dangerous it is, to me. how many accidents happen on R rated routes? does that mean R rated routes aren't dangerous?

anyway it's possible that aid climbing really isn't that dangerous, I dunno. but to say that just because there aren't more fatalities it's not dangerous, is mullarky to me.

(btw I love that rant, can't see it at work, but I'm pretty sure I know the one.)

If hard aid is really more dangerous, there should be more fatalities, right?

Hard aid is about putting you in a position of danger, whether it is dangerous or not is completly subjective to the individual.

Let me explain: hard aid is classified both on the potential length of fall, and the difficulty or the placements.

Compared to free soloing, the fall distance would alway be to the ground..... but if the climb is 5.2, where every hold is burying your entire arm solidly into a perfect crack, the chances of falling are fairly minimal.

If the climb is a 5.11 tips crack, again, the fall is all the way to the ground, AND DEPENDING ON THE CLIMBER, this could be an incredibly secure route, with minimal fall hazard...... or impossible to get off the ground.

Aid climbing is similar to this. A5 climbing involves numerous precarious pieces for dozens or hundreds of feet, however without it is hard to get very far into this terrain without being proficiant at the skills to begin with.

Compare it to running a marathon, you don't just get off the couch one day, and run a marathon.... or if you do, you quickly realize that you aren't prepared and you pull over.

Hard aid is the art of Micro-Engineering, in essence, you have a bunch of stuff, and you have to deduce a way to get something to stick long enough for you to move upward to figure out something else.

Yes, Taped hooks in microedges happen, and if you shift your weight at all, they will blow, BUT how the hell do you think you ended up standing on it if you didn't have those skills allready.

In my Opinion, turning 16 and buying a sportbike is INFINITLY more dangerous than working your way up to hard aid.

No form of climbing done by competent climbers is as dangerous as the casino-like overall demographic of gym/sport climbers equipped with grigris. It's surviving the latter and climbing long enough to join the ranks of the former that's the challenge. After that there are lots of ways to hurt yourself, but at least it will be honest pilot error in most of those cases (ok, so that's little comfort...).